Navroze special: A Parsi feast awaits you

By Kanika Sharma |Posted 21-Mar-2014

With the season change, Mumbai's Parsi community, will be celebrating Navroze today. In a bid to gulp down all, the guide peeks into the kitchens across the city’s eateries to get a dekko of what’s on the menu

THE first day of spring symbolises Navroze, a day when Zoroastrians get together to celebrate their New Year. Hormuz Bana, a priest from the community, informs us of the rituals involved, “Iranis lay a table with seven specific things beginning with the letter ‘S’. ” Usually called haft-sin, the S is taken for sib (apples), sepand (seeds of wild rue), sekka (newly minted coins), sir (garlic cloves), serka (vinegar), sabza (wheat, barley or lentils) and samanu (a sweet paste consisting of wheat, oil, water, almonds and walnuts).

Bana adds, “We wear new clothes and visit the fire temple. Being the beginning of a new time for us, we clean our homes thoroughly too, to welcome things with a fresh approach.”

Oh boy! The feast is on11 am to 11 pm Jimmy Boy, a favourite haunt, will be flooring its customers with a Special Jamshedi Navroz Menu for takeaway as well as to eat there. The sumptuous platter will include Patra Fish or Saas Ni Machhi (pomfret), Salli Murghi/Salli Gosh and Mutton or Chicken Berry Pulav along with roti, saaria, achar, and custard. The takeaway menu is at `1,100 inclusive of two pieces of each while the dining option will have only one and cost `850.

Sweeten the tooth10.30 am to 8.30 pm Weak in the knees is the expression for the fare this 105-year-old sweet shop makes for Navroze. Baklava, Louze Pista, Pashmak, Gaz along with Iranian dry fruits like fig, mulberries, zerich and zaffran are available to celebrate the new season.

Burbies rejoice12 pm to 3.30pm and7 pm to 11.30pm For the ones who’d face a struggle venturing to Fort, Jumjoji can come to the rescue. While their fare has enough of a popularity with burbies (suburbites), you can look forward to their berry pulaos (chicken or mutton) between the two mentioned ‘windows of opportunity’.

At Jumjoji, shop no 4, Ankleshwar Building, Bandra (W). call 65363665

Old favourites11.30 am to 9.30 pm There’s Kashmiri Pulao, Lagan nu Custard, Roasted Chicken in Brown Sauce and the new guests on the table — Cherry Custard and Lemon Cheesecake at Sassanian Boulangerie, giving renewed meaning to the Navroze celebrations.